Some email services have been restored in the city of Columbus as the city continues to recover from a major technology outage that took down many services last week.
“External email has been restored, but only to city devices located in city buildings,” Melanie Crabill, a spokeswoman for Mayor Andrew Ginther, said Monday morning. “Email is still unavailable to remote or mobile devices outside the city network.”
The city has been struggling to restore many of its services since a system “glitch” occurred on July 18, leading the city's technology department to cut off internet connections to limit potential risks.
The decision affected city emails, website updates, 311 services, building and zoning portals, live streaming capabilities and the computer-aided dispatch system used by emergency responders, as well as other government services, including some functions of the Franklin County District Court.
In response, the city moved employees to work from home and tried to improve internet connectivity. By the end of last week, the city had begun to restore some services and websites, such as access to the LEADS state law enforcement database, but other services, such as the city's zoning and building portals, remained unavailable as of Monday morning.
It was initially thought to be linked to a technology outage caused by a faulty update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, but that was later determined to be unrelated. Ginther said the city's cybersecurity issue may have been caused by a city employee opening a malicious email.
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Jim Weicker
